Hard to convince Chelsea UECL is 'best competition in the world', says Maresca

Enzo Maresca says he found it difficult to convince Chelsea that the Conference League was the "best competition in the world" ahead of their run to the final.

The Blues clinched Champions League football next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League, thanks to their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on the final day, but can also lift a trophy on Wednesday.

They face Real Betis in the Conference League showpiece, and if they win, they will become the first club to win all four major UEFA competitions, having won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1971, 1998), the Champions League (2012, 2021) and the Europa League (2013, 2019).

Including Maresca, each of the last seven Chelsea managers to take charge of a major European final have done so in their first season at the club.

But Maresca noted that he had a tough job trying to convince his side of the competition's importance this term.

"Probably the most complicated thing this season about the Conference [League] has been to convince the players that, for us, it was the best competition in the world," he said.

"And the reason why was because it was the competition that we were in.

"We cannot play Champions League if we are in the Conference [League], or we cannot play Europa [League]. We are in the Conference, so for us, it was the most important competition, and we need to try to win that.

"If we are able to win, I think it's a good thing, especially because we continue to build a winning mentality."

Chelsea have not lifted a trophy since 2021, when they won the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel.

But they have impressed in the Conference League despite averaging the second-youngest starting line-up in the competition. Only Cercle Brugge (23 years 121 days) have had a younger average starting XI age in the Conference League this season than Chelsea (23y 276d).

The Blues have also used more different players (36) and had more different goalscorers (16) than any other side, and have scored 38 goals in the competition, the most of any team in a single campaign since the competition's inception in 2021.

Reece James, who has made six appearances in the Conference League this term, netting one goal, believes it will be a huge morale boost for the club.

"It would mean a lot to me and to the club," James said.

"For a lot of the players, it would be their first trophy. A lot of young players have played such a key part in the competition this season, so it would mean a lot.

"It's been a few years since we got our hands on silverware, and I would like to think this could bring the winning feeling back to the club and help the players who haven't won so much in their career so far."